Twenty-two years after a young Anne Hathaway enchanted audiences as the obedient, unstoppable Ella of Frell, the beloved fairytale is making a magical comeback — this time on the small screen. Disney+ is developing a brand-new Ella Enchanted TV series, and Hathaway is back, not in front of the camera, but behind it as executive producer. Consider us very much under its spell.

Ella Enchanted: Key Details

Detail	Info
Project	Ella Enchanted (TV Series)
Platform	Disney+
Announced	May 18, 2026
Status	Early Development
Executive Producer	Anne Hathaway & Adam Shulman
Showrunner	Beth Schwartz (Dead Boy Detectives)
Writer	Ilana Wolpert (Anyone But You)
Production	Miramax Television & Paramount Television Studios
Release Date	Not yet announced

What’s the Show About?

The official logline reads: “When 16-year-old Ella of Frell — cursed at birth to obey every command — is sent to boarding school after her mother’s untimely death, she begins to uncover the truth about her curse, builds an unlikely found family, and deals with an extremely inconvenient crush on the prince of her kingdom.”

While the television series will keep the main premise of the story the same, it will change things up by adding a more “coming-of-age feel,” setting the story at a boarding school, which was not in the film. There are four chapters in the book that chronicle Ella’s time at a finishing school where she was bullied but also finds a best friend. Just Jared

Think Wednesday meets classic fairytale — a fresh, emotionally grounded take for a new generation.

How Is It Different from the 2004 Film?

The series would not be a sequel — rather, it’s a coming-of-age story that follows Ella in boarding school, which means Hathaway wouldn’t reprise her role as the teen heroine. Instead, she lends her passion and creative oversight as producer, helping shape the story she clearly still holds close to her heart.

Rather than simply retelling the story, the goal appears to be evolving it — offering something meaningful to longtime fans while introducing Ella’s journey to a new audience. LaughingPlace

Anne Hathaway’s Full-Circle Moment

This project is deeply personal for Hathaway. With The Devil Wears Prada 2 in theatres now and a third Princess Diaries movie in the works, Hathaway isn’t finished revisiting her filmography. Her early career was defined by Disney fairytale heroines, and her return to one of those beloved stories signals a thoughtful, purposeful approach rather than simple nostalgia. Collider

The original Ella Enchanted was based on Gail Carson Levine’s celebrated 1997 fantasy novel — a story about autonomy, identity, and breaking free from the expectations placed on you. Those themes feel just as relevant today as they did two decades ago, which is exactly why this reimagining makes so much sense.

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FAQs

Q: Is the Ella Enchanted Disney+ series a sequel to the 2004 film?

No — it’s a reimagined coming-of-age adaptation set primarily at a boarding school, drawing more closely from Gail Carson Levine’s original novel than the 2004 film.

Q: Will Anne Hathaway act in the new Ella Enchanted series?

Not in the lead role — she returns as executive producer alongside her husband Adam Shulman, though a guest appearance in another capacity has not been ruled out.